Electricity Meters

Starting from last Wednesday(7 April 2010) till now, I followed Uncle Xavier out in the morning to install electricity meters. He gave me a task to do which is to write down the serial numbers and the test dates of the new electric meters. We went to various places in Taiping, mostly in the southern part. There is another meter installer in the department, Mr Choo, who is in charge of installing electric meters in the northern part of Taiping.

I am sure most of us have seen this type of meter (below figure) before installed in our houses. This type of meter is easily tampered by consumers by stopping the rotating disk. The rotating disk determines how many turns equivalent to 1kWh. There are consumers who do not want to pay a lot to TNB, and thus tamper the device by putting stones or other things that could slow down the rotating disk. That is why this type of meter is not preferred to be used anymore.

Hence, a new type of meter is manufactured. Below is the Phoenix Series 2 and PRI Sprint for one-phase and 3-phase respectively. As you can see, there is no way for the consumers to open the device and tamper with it. Now, TNB is installing these 2 new electricity meters for consumers who apply for electricity supply.

Phoenix 2 Series for single phase : It has 4 terminals. Since it is only single phase, it has only phase terminal and neutral terminal. Both phase and neutral terminals have two wires connected to each of them, the incoming and outgoing wires.

PRI Sprint for 3-phase : It has 8 terminals, whereby 6 terminals are used for the 3-phase incoming and outgoing wires and 2 terminals for the neutral incoming and outgoing wires.

This is basically what I do in this department every morning, and I will be doing this till this coming Friday. This Friday will be my last day in the Metering and Services department before I move on to Senggaran Pencawang/SAVR next week.

Fieldwork

Went early to the office. Even though it's just 7.45am, some of the staff were already there on Level 4.

There is a new trainee from ILSAS in the department I am in. Both of us followed Encik Nasrizan out to get some components for TNB contractors from the TNB store in Jalan Haiwan. Then we went to Kampung Rahmat where we observed the contractors installing 2 new electric poles.

A hole as deep as 4 feet is dug to plant the pole. An electric pole is 7.5m in height and 1.1 m in circumference (small one)

How they put the pole into the hole

After the pole is upright and steady, it's time to connect the wires to the main power supply.

This pole is the main supply. There are a few wires connected to it.

After lunch, I went back to the office and asked around for some work to do. That was when Amir started printing a stack of papers and brought it to the cubicle I was sitting. It was the customers' details and he brought another stack of customers' application forms for electricity and asked me to find the correct match of the printed papers and the forms. A few minutes later, he came by my place and asked whether I would want to follow him to check on a breakdown case in Taman Sg. Mas. I decided to follow him.

We went to the substation there and met En. Wahab and 3 other people from Fault Finder team. They started testing for short circuit in the substations around the area because they wanted to know what is the cause that caused the breakdown. By 5.40pm, one of the guys from Fault Finder said they were going back to the office to get something and offered me a lift back to the office. Fault Finder team testing for short circuit.

It made me realised the actual work that is being done when a breakdown occurs, who are the people involved in it. It takes a long time to find what the fault is sometimes.

2nd day of training: Nice fieldwork. =)

Next Phase

1st day of Industrial Training.
Place : TNB, Taiping [Near my house. Just walk down from my house and there's the office =)]

Supposed to have morning talk at 8am but apparently it was cancelled. So I guess I have to introduce myself next Monday.

Got my schedule for the whole 3 months. I will be going from department to department for at least 2 weeks in each department.

The 1st department is Metering and Service (Penjangkaan dan Servis). The Head Of Department is Pn. Noor Azita. I reported to her after lunch since she was not in in the morning. Since the group of people went out to install electricity meters early in the morning before I came to the department, I stayed in the office, helping out a colleague, Mr Amiruddin, who's kind enough to explain to me what the department does and I offered to help him with his paperwork, since his desk was full with papers. There were datas to be keyed in, mostly on the installation of electricity meters for customers.

I met Mr. Wong, an engineer and the HOD of Planning (Perancang) Unit, which I will be going there for my last two weeks of training. He wants me to do a research on Power Quality and to present to him at the end of my training. A challenge, I would say, but nevertheless, doable.

Tomorrow I will be going out to install electricity meters and in order to do so, I have to reach the office by 7.45am.

1st day at work: Not too bad, I guess. =)

Love

Just want to say...

L.E.H and C.W.L,

Love you guys! =)

Who are You to Judge?

I'm sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. That same person they keep talking about. The same things they keep saying. The things they criticise.

If you are not in the person's shoes, who are you to judge? Tell me, who are you to judge?

For example, a group of new committees went for a meeting recently and the meeting was prolonged because of some discussion. Let me remind you, you were one of the previous committee but then you have no part in it, and yet you got to know about it. Then you start commenting and criticising the way the new leader is doing his/her job.

So tell me, did you suffer from the long meeting? Did you have to sit through the entire meeting for long hours? You did not even attend the meeting, for heaven's sake!

Tell me, who are you to judge then?

My point is, keep your opinions to yourself. Stop criticising/judging. Give that person a chance to prove him/herself. If you dont really want the person to be the new leader, why didnt you stay in the committee and run to become the leader? You had a choice and you chose not to, and now you are complaining the way the new leader is doing things? (referring to the long meeting)

Pathetic.

February

Last day of February.

Last day of Chinese New Year. Chap Goh Meh. (So, all you single people out there, better go throw mandarin oranges into longkang/river/lake/sea/ocean to find your future life partners)

People start to show their true colours, good and bad. I'm surprised with myself with how I can be patient with them and close both eyes and just let them be, whatever they want to be. Maybe I am numb inside.

Projects for various subjects are due soon. Started pulling my socks up. (Wonders how people can still take things lightly.)

Finals is approaching in 3 weeks. Surprised with how time flies. Need strength to pull myself through.

Industrial training in about a month. Duration: 12 weeks.

Hmm, I got a feeling..things are about to change soon.

Coming to an End

As 2009 is about to come to an end...

I just want to make things right with you.
I just want to clarify things with you.
I just want to make sure things are crystal clear between us.

Whatever it is that's going on, I hope it's nothing serious.
I want to end the year with good memories...
and start the new one, refreshed and renewed.

I'm not a mind reader..
So I dunno what the heck is going through your mind.
But one thing I know for sure,
Is that you are the one who started off acting weird.
This time, it's not me.
It's you.

I have enough of misunderstandings, second-guessing, doubts.
It's up to you whether you want to make things right too.
As of now, I've got to move on and be who I am.